New Near-Production "Super" Lightbulb Lasts 60 Years, Costs $2.85

The new design triples fluorescent bulb efficiency and is 12 times more efficient than incandescent designs. Also, it’s capable of instantaneous illumination, so the light lag associated with fluorescent bulbs may soon be a thing of the past.

If installed across all of Britain, the researchers estimate that it could cut the country’s lighting portion of the energy budget from 20 percent to 5 percent a year. The U.S. could muster a similar 10 percent drop with the design, according to recent DOE estimates. The new bulbs last 100,000 hours and unlike other “eco” bulbs, they contain no mercury, a substance that can cause brain damage in humans. They also don’t flicker, while other green designs do, something that’s been blamed for triggering epileptic fits.